A Display of More than 65 Quilts Celebrating the Remarkable Creativity, Past and Present, in the Extended Minerd-Minard-Miner-Minor Family

Amy (Minerd) Thorne in Indiana, 1890s

Launched in 2005 -- after the successful national Minerd-Minard-Miner-Minor reunion featuring "A Legacy of Quilting" -- this Minerd.com "Online Quilt Museum" celebrates the remarkable creative force of quilt makers in the family, past and present. Dozens of colorful quilt photographs are displayed in this "museum" -- including those originally shown at the reunion, and many more images emailed by cousins from California to Massachusetts.

Clara Thorpe, 1950s

This new feature is dedicated to honoring talented quiltmakers in our family, and providing a visual record of their creations.

The earliest photo we have of a cousin-quilter is from the late 1890s -- showing Chicago resident Amy (Minerd) Tilbury Thorne at the home of her brother James and Martha "Jane" (Sheehan) Minerd along the Ohio-Indiana border near Monroeville, IN. The design on the quilt is thought to have been a "pine tree pattern." To see an enlarged version, visit our "Photo of the Month" for August 2003.

In the image seen at left, the late Clara (Freed) Thorpe of Perryopolis, Fayette County, PA, proudly poses with one of her creations. This image was used as a Valentine card, and likely was taken in the 1950s.

If you would like to submit a photograph of your quilt, perhaps made by a loved ancestor, or possibly fashioned by you -- please email it to Minerd.com founder Mark A. Miner. Please include the name of the maker, the approximate year it was made, and any special notes about the fabrics, patterns, stitching or other stories behind the quilt.

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